Some schools require students to complete summer projects to assure they continue learning during their break, but are unsure whether these tasks should be student-designed or teacher-designed. Psychologists have proven that in order for a person to actually remember information, that information needs to be repeatedly tested upon in order to remain significant in the brain. Summer break, as a huge gap in between learning periods, is massively disruptive to the cognitive process. Summer projects given over the break period should be moderately designed by the students themselves, because it gives the student control over their individual situation, it allows the student to express themselves creatively, and it removes pressure from school teachers; all while preparing them for life after school.

Students in school are constantly coddled, both by their parents and by the teachers in their learning environment. Giving an individual the ability to plan and create their own project is teaching them how to manage tasks on their own. It allows them to take into account their schedule, their own situation. Teenagers in high school spread rapidly after the school season has ended. Some travel, or get jobs, or go to summer camps; while others prefer to stay rooted where they are comfortably. Giving students that ability to decide for themselves how they are going to carry through with working around those activities is necessity. It allows them room to breathe. Putting the responsibility of caring for their own needs in students' hands gives them the much-needed abilities they will need for later in life.

Teenagers during the school year often don't get the opportunity to express themselves creatively and individually. Tasks designed during this time are teacher-designed and often follow a strict to-do list, which mushes everyone's work into one giant puddle of the same idea. Giving students the thumbs-up to style and create their own work assignment suddenly sets the bar way higher. Students are much more likely to branch out from the boring, black and white school project normally set by teachers. Difference in thought is an important concept that needs to be stressed to young people in society. No person is the same as any other. Setting an individual up for normality is setting them up for failure in the real world.

Finally, putting control in the hands of students takes the pressure off of teachers to work all year round.

Being constantly ailed with stress and work is definitely not beneficial for a persons' health. Teachers especially, who work in an environment surrounded by teen drama and the potential spread of sickness, need time off to recover. Forcing them to plan and grade massive projects during their supposed "time off" is unfair to them. During the school year, teachers often have no time to waste to spend with their own children, because they are so focused on having to grade those two-hundred papers for school. Giving teachers time away from the stress of other peoples' children gives them time to set aside for themselves and for their kids.

Some people may claim that giving students the ability to design their own project is not "giving" but "forcing". Students may need guidelines in order to work properly and receive a fair grade for their effort. Or worst case, they simply won't do the work. If a student needs a step-by-step process on how to recount their learning, then how will they expect to fend for themselves once they graduate? During high school, students need this time to learn more than just history or math, they need to learn how to manage their own lives. Giving them the right to design their own project is the best decision for both students and teachers.  